


Working on a Soulmate

by PrincessCipher



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Gavin is an ass because he's sleep deprived, I just needed something fluffy and funny in my life, M/M, Multi, Other, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Ralph is a sweetheart and deserves a raise, Reader is gender neutral, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23881111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessCipher/pseuds/PrincessCipher
Summary: Connor and Nines, platonic soulmate detectives, are investigating things as they do, when they happen across their missing soulmate, a rather foulmouthed engineer with a knack for machines and a lack of ability to care for themselves or plants.
Relationships: Connor (Detroit: Become Human) & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Reader, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 232





	Working on a Soulmate

**Author's Note:**

> I just really like soulmate AUs, okay? They have so much room for angst or fluff. And I've been feeling in need of some fluff lately.
> 
> This is technically an old piece that I decided to finish up now my computer is fixed.

Connor glanced at the blue band on his arm as the automated taxi drove forward, considering the words underneath. At his side, Nines was completely ignoring him, eyes closed as he looked over their case files. Soulmates were a...  _strange_ phenomena. Nearly every human was born with scribbles across their upper arms or, in some rarer cases, on random parts of their bodies that eventually formed into words as they grew older. Contrary to the many movies about people finding their soulmates, a lot of soulmates weren't destined to be romantic partners. Even so, there was one undeniable fact. As the name implied, only those with  _souls_ could have a fated partner.

Which made it really awkward for Cyberlife when the deviated androids revealed they had words appear on their bodies just like the humans.

Even so, the whole idea of having soulmates was such an interest to Connor. Especially the idea of having _two_. Even among humans, having more than one was incredibly rare. In some ways, Connor felt happy to have been given such an opportunity. Though he'd felt less sure upon realizing that his first “soulmate” was _Nines_. Despite Nines' initial passive aggressiveness, the two ended up being nearly unstoppable in the field. Soulmate detectives was a weird thing to consider, but they both decided to continue working together since they just... _clicked._

But there was still one thing standing in the way of an easy solution. They both had another sentence on their other arm. Nines hated his, and mentioned on several occasions that he was fine never meeting their other soulmate. Connor was simply curious. He wanted to know more about this other person. There would be so much to know and consider. Hell, they didn't even know if their third partner would be human or android. All they did know was that this remaining person apparently liked to swear.

It wasn't much to go on.

“It is little use considering it. We could be going over the case.”

Connor glanced up, LED flickering yellow briefly before returning to blue. “There is little to discuss that we have not already. If Captain Fowler had not given us this lead, we would have nothing to go on.”

Nines clicked his tongue quietly, turning to look out the window. “We are almost there. We will find out soon if it was worth our time.”

*****

You could remember reading a lot of stories as a kid about the character not “being like other kids” in some way. It was always something super fun. Maybe there was some sort of superpower or quirk that let them do fun things. Maybe they thought differently than everyone else. Maybe they... _just were_. Maybe it wasn't quite fun at first, but it led to fun things.

You weren't like other kids, and reality wasn't fun. As all the kids grew older, they excitedly waited for the words on their arms to become clear. At that time, you were just like them. Every morning, you would tear your shirt off and check, waiting to see if that day would be the one. When the day finally came that you could make out the words, you were shocked and scared. One of your phrases was pretty normal, if a bit rude. “You are getting in the way of our investigation.” Well, fine. One of your soulmates was going to be a detective or something. That was... neat?

It was the other sentence that terrified you as a child. “Hello, my name is Connor. I'm the android sent by the Detroit Police Department.” Android. _Android_. One – hell, maybe both – of your soulmates was an _android_. Ever since your sentence came in, you started hiding your arms. You never risked wearing anything that showed your shoulders or anything that you might accidentally pull up if it was hot. Within weeks, your wardrobe consisted of entirely long-sleeved shirts and sweaters. Your parents never really brought it up, which you were grateful for. If other kids asked, you'd bring up your detective soulmate and pretend they were the only one.

Who would believe an android could be a soulmate?

Well, you supposed you did, considering you moved to Detroit after college in the hopes you might come across one of your soulmates. And, well, the _revolution did._ When it came out that androids were alive, you'd breathed a sigh of relief. They were _alive_. They were _people_. You wouldn't be quite the freak as you were before. Though having gone to college for engineering, working on fully sentient androids was a little... _odd_. You weren't used to your machines talking back to you while you worked on their insides. It was rewarding, though. You were one of two engineers who stayed after the practical _exodus_ of humans, and that made sure you were never short on work. The little things in life and all that.

Currently, you were sitting in the park near your office while you worked on a custom voice box that had been giving you trouble. It was hooked up to one of your tablets, and you were waiting for it to finish another program test. Glancing up, you decided to people watch for a bit. Most of what you saw was boring, just regular people milling about or going for runs. What truly caught your eye was a pair of similar looking androids.

Aside from their clothing and a minor height difference, they were almost identical. And you could tell they were androids at a glance because both still wore their uniform jackets with the identifiable blue triangles and arm bands along with their LEDs. The slightly shorter one wore a dark gray jacket with RK800 written across the front while the taller one wore a more standard black and white uniform with RK900 on the front. Perhaps most importantly between the two, they looked _lost_. Well, you never were one to sit idly by. Stretching your arms above your head, you set the voice box to the side and walked over to the duo. The shorter one was talking to another android while the taller one continued to look the part of the lost sheep, glancing around consistently.

You moved in front of him, giving him a big smile and waving to get his attention. When you opened your mouth to ask if he needed directions, he turned to glare at you. Almost immediately, he spat out, “you are getting in the way of our investigation.”

Oh. _Oh._ He was... _oh_. Before you could stop it, you shot back, “well aren't you a fuckwad and a half.”

His eyes widened, LED switching to a solid red as he stared at you silently. Just behind him, the other android came over. He tilted his head curiously, LED flickering yellow as he looked over you and his companion. His eyes lit up and he turned to the other android.

“You found Captain Fowler's lead.” He turned to you, smiling. “Hello, my name is Connor. I'm the android sent by the Detroit Police Department.”

You blinked, wondering if you even had the mental capacity to come up with something clever to say. “Well, shit. I guess you are.” Nope. Apparently not.

Connor's eyes widened as well, his LED taking on the same solid red color. For several long moments, both he and the other android just stared at you. You felt... _small._ Never had you ever felt so intimidated. The idea of meeting both your soulmates at once had never crossed your mind, and you were starting to feel more than a little frazzled. Holy _shit._ Those things you had just said were _printed on their arms for life_. Deciding that you'd very much like to crawl into a hole and die, you spun on your heel and walked back to your bench.

The report on your tablet was blinking a happy green, signifying a success. Given how much trouble you'd had with it, you were starting to wish that you had the mental capacity to be happy about it. For now, you just shoved it haphazardly into your bag along with the voice box and slung the bag over your shoulder. You spared a glance behind you. Both androids were standing there still, just gaping at you. Well, you'd broken them somehow. _Damn_.

Doing what you supposed any normal being would do upon meeting their soulmates, you turned and ran. You knew the area well enough that you could take a shortcut back to your office and find that hole to crawl into. Moments after you broke into your sprint, you could hear two voices call after you.

“W-wait a moment!”

“Get back here!”

You hazarded a glance back. Holy _shit_ they were fast. Chewing on your lip, you took a hard right and barreled through the familiar gap in the hedges. On the other side, you flew across the street and into your office building. Outside the front windows, you could see the androids make their way through the hedge and start looking around.

At the front desk, your receptionist stood up. He looked more than a little concerned at your heavy breathing and frantic expression. He was such a sweet guy, you hated worrying him like this.

“Ralph was not expecting you back so soon,” he said slowly, glancing out the window.

Ah, bless him. He'd come so far since you'd taken him in nearly a year ago now. “If anyone asks, I'm not here.”

Ralph's LED flickered red before he nodded. “Ralph will make sure no one bothers the good boss!”

You smiled, glancing out the window to see the androids waiting impatiently at a crosswalk. Oh no, did you just make eye contact with the taller one? “Thank you, Ralph!” you said, bolting past the desk and into your main workroom.

As you slid your bag off to make sure the voice box ended up where it needed to – you weren't risking it getting damaged – you could hear the front door open. You briefly debated trying to escape out the back before instead sneaking closer to the door to listen in.

“Greetings!” Ralph said cheerfully. Goodness gracious, he deserved another raise. “Ralph welcomes you. Do you have an appointment?”

“No,” Connor said. His voice sounded a bit... tenser than before. “We are from the Detroit Police Department.”

“Police... department...?” Ralph said slowly.

“We require your boss. We have a few questions about a case we are working on,” the taller one said.

“Ralph is sorry he can't help you. The nice boss is not here right now. It is their lunch break.”

You nodded to yourself. Ralph absolutely deserved a raise after this. Though, now you were curious. You'd never been to the police department, despite your few years of living in Detroit. What use would you be for an investigation?

Connor cleared his throat, though you couldn't understand why. “They tracked dirt in from the park. Their shoe prints led here.”

They could... they could track that? You looked down at your work shoes, immediately leaning down to untie them and take them off. So focused on your task, you didn't hear Ralph start to shout moments before the door you'd been listening through flew open. Slowly, despite halfway through untying your second shoe, you looked up. The taller of the two androids towered above you. With no other option, you just meekly smiled and retied your shoes. Behind the android, you could see Ralph hovering about. He was shifting his hands a lot, bouncing from foot to foot.

Slowly, you stood from your crouching position. “Hey, Ralph? Thank you for your help.”

“But... they found the nice boss...?”

“It's okay, Ralph. Why don't you go on break? I'll talk with these two in my office,” you said, doing your best to sound much more confident than you felt.

Ralph visibly hesitated, but eventually nodded and grabbed his jacket. Instead of leaving to go the park and feed the ducks like normal, you watched him put his jacket on and then sit in the waiting room. It was hard not to appreciate his immense loyalty. Maybe if _he'd_ been your soulmate, you wouldn't be in this situation. Soulmate work partners sounded amazing.

Taking a deep breath and putting on your best work smile, you turned to the detectives and gestured to a door on the other side of your workshop. “We can talk in there,” you said, leading the way when they didn't budge an inch. “Please don't touch anything in here,” you added. “There's a lot of super sensitive projects and equipment.”

“Why would you leave sensitive projects lying around?” the taller one asked, following you into the office and shutting the door behind his companion.

“Because it's the workshop I use for work? Those are all projects I'm making for androids who need parts,” you explained, slipping into the big plush chair on your side of the desk and gesturing to the open chairs opposite. As they sat, you busied yourself with cleaning up some loose scraps and wondering how much longer your flower would last if you kept insisting that you didn't need Ralph to take care of it. Hm. Probably not long.

Connor was the first to speak after sitting down. “We are... technically here on business, to discuss an issue we are investigating.”

“All right,” you said slowly, keeping an eye on their movements. “What did you need to know?”

“Why did you run?”

You flinched, eyes shifting to the taller android. “Uh, excuse me?”

“You ran away,” he said, eyes locking directly on to yours. “Why?”

You glanced between the two, only now noting the difference in eye color. Interesting. “I, uh, panicked?”

Connor frowned at that, his LED flickering yellow. “Why would you panic?”

“I didn't expect to meet both my soulmates at once,” you admitted, leaning back in your chair and pulling up a leg to hug it to your chest. “And then I realized the phrases that were plastered on your arms and I just... ran.”

“I had thought, given the accomplishments on your file, that you were supposed to be intelligent.”

Oh. Ow.

“ _Nines_!”

Ah. Nines was his name. Neat.

“Well, just because I can do things like make an emergency thirium pump without a blueprint doesn't mean I have any idea what to do in social situations,” you shot back.

“So you are admitting that you are not as intelligent as our captain led us to believe.”

“ _Nines_!” Connor was starting to sound more than a little exasperated.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “You know what, I take it back. You're not a fuckwad and a half. You're more of a fuckwad squared.”

Nines' eye twitched. “What does that mean?”

“Wouldn't you like to know?”

Connor stood up, firmly placing himself between you and Nines. To be perfectly honest, you couldn't tell if Nines was actually feeling anything. Aside from the sass and snide, the most you'd gotten out of him was a single eye twitch. At least Connor emoted.

“Perhaps it would be best to take a step back and discuss what our original reason for coming was,” he said, glancing between the two of you.

You just shrugged, keeping your eyes on Nines as he leaned back in his chair and continued to glare at you. He had a pretty impressive resting bitch face. You weren't even sure his glaring constituted as an emotion. It was more... a reaction to you being annoying.

Clearing his throat, Connor sat back in his seat. “We are investigating a series of malfunctions in android units. Their biocomponents are shutting down for what appears to be no reason.”

You took a deep breath, grabbing a tablet from the top drawer of your desk. “I don't suppose you have reports of those specific events?”

Connor nodded, the skin on his hand pulling back as he laid it on the tablet and transferred the files. “It has begun happening with alarming frequency. Without knowing the cause, we have no way of stopping it.”

You leaned back in your chair, pulling both knees up to rest the tablet on as you read. There wasn't much to go on, unfortunately. From your brief look-over, the diagnostic reports were perfectly clean. There shouldn't have been _any_ issues like that if all the biocomponents were reading fine. As far as you knew, there was no way to mess with diagnostics like that either. It wasn't like a camera whose feed you could loop. This was going to be awkward.

“I need one of the victims.”

You glanced up, unsurprised to see them both staring at you blankly with their LEDs spinning yellow. Nines was the first to break out of his thoughts, LED returning to its normal solid blue.

“Why would you need one of the bodies?”

You tapped the tablet lightly, considering how to phrase your next words. “From my _cursory_ glance, there's only one thing in common with the systems that caused the lethal failures,” you said.

Connor's head tilted ever so slightly. “You found a commonality?”

“Maybe,” you said with a shrug. “It's just a theory, and things get complicated quick if I'm right, but the only system that connects to all the biocomponents that failed is the circulation for thirium.”

It was like watching a light bulb go off in their heads. Both of their eyes widened, LEDs wildly flashing yellow with bits of red as they considered your words and request.

“How would one affect thirium in such a way?”

You shrugged again. “Not sure yet. I'd need to test it to see if I could find anything out of the ordinary.”

Nines stood from his seat, making his way around your desk so he was standing next to you. When you tried to wheel your chair away to get some distance, he put a foot down to block you.

“If you come with us back to the station, we can give you the access you need.” Nines held out a hand, waiting for you to take it. “The sooner we learn what is happening, the fewer lives that will be lost.”

You stared at the hand directly in front of your face, considering your options. Honestly, you didn't even have any appointments for the rest of the day. You just stayed open for walk-ins and so that Ralph would get all his hours in so he could get his full pay. The biggest thing here was all the android lives that would be at risk if you didn't figure out what was happening. Nines was right. The longer you waited, the more lives would be lost.

Slowly, you reached your hand out and let him pull you from your chair. “I'll need to gather some of my equipment.”

Connor cleared his throat from the other side of your desk. “Please take your time to make sure you have everything you may need. We must call a car regardless.”

You nodded, skirting around Nines to go back into your workshop. Both of the androids followed, and you could see Ralph through the door to the lobby. He eyed you with concern, standing up and coming to the doorway.

“Kind boss? Ralph was wondering if you needed anything?”

You gave Ralph the biggest smile you could manage. “I'm going to have to leave the office for a bit to help these two officers, but could you give the android who needed the new custom voice box a call and let them know it's ready? They'll need to make an appointment for me to install it.” You grabbed your shoulder bag, looking around for the testing equipment you'd need.

“Ralph can do that! Do you need Ralph to do anything else?”

“Can you close up shop for me after?” you asked, shoving a few things into your bag. “I don't think I'll be back before closing.”

Ralph nodded, clearly happy to be of use as he headed back to the front desk to the make the call. Meanwhile, Connor busied himself by looking around your workshop and Nines just stood in the center of the room, following your movements. As you grabbed the rest of your equipment, you wondered how long of a day it would be.

*****

The car ride to the station was, thankfully, quiet. There was still plenty of information to go over on your tablet, and that meant they couldn't bother you without risking you missing something. You did want to get to know them. Even if your meeting hadn't gone as well as in the movies, they _were_ your soulmates. Still, there were androids at risk of dying and that took priority. When the car came to a stop, Nines grabbed your bag and got out before you could protest. Connor stepped out next, holding out a hand to make sure you didn't trip. You followed them, and wondered briefly if this is what would happen if you were brought in for questioning.

A kind woman at the desk greeted Nines and Connor by name before letting them know they were free to go in. Nines went first, Connor gently putting a hand on your back to lead you past the small gate and into the bullpen. Given it was the middle of the day still, there were a lot of people. Some were sitting at their desks making phone calls or doing work on their computers. Others wandered between the desks or went to the break room off to the right. Connor and Nines led you passed everyone and to a desk near one of the back corners.

“We need to prepare what you need,” Nines stated, immediately setting down your bag, turning heel, and marching off toward a large office with glass walls.

“This is my desk,” Connor said, giving you a small smile. “You may stay here until we return. The bathrooms and break room are over there if you require them.” With that, he politely noddded and followed Nines.

Just like that, you were alone again. Something gnawed at your insides, simultaneously making you want to follow them and reminding you that you hadn't actually eaten yet. You dove into your bag, digging through the equipment until you found the small lunchbox you'd brought with you to the park earlier but never opened. Once you tore it open to get to the goodies inside, you sat back in the chair to properly observe your surroundings while you ate.

It was... _boring._ In the movies, exciting stuff was always going on, but it looked like everyone was just... working. As much sense as it made, it still annoyed you that there wasn't much to focus on. The first thing to catch your eye was a man coming out of the break room with a cup of coffee in one hand. Honestly, aside from the graying hair and unkempt beard, he was pretty normal.

And also headed right to desk next to Connor's.

He set the coffee down at the edge of his desk, collapsing into his seat. For a few moments, he just sat there with his head in his hands. After taking a visible breath, he sat up and froze when his eyes locked onto yours. You just stared back, another bite of your lunch halfway to your mouth.

“Uh, hi?” you finally said, setting down your food.

“Who the hell are you?”

You raised a brow, pulling a leg onto the chair with you. “I'm an engineer with a specialty in androids,” you said. “I got brought in to look at some stuff.”

The man snorted. “You must be the one Fowler sent the kids after. Surprised they found you.”

“Really?”

“All he gave them was an area and a picture.”

“Wait, seriously?” you asked, leaning forward. “And they couldn't find me? My face and name are practically plastered all over my shop's website. Do they not know how to reverse image search?”

He started laughing, shoulders shaking with every bark. “Of course they'd overlook the obvious. Idiots.”

You tilted your head as he turned to his computer, effectively ending your conversation. Huh. Weird dude. Shrugging, you grabbed your water bottle from one of your bag's side pockets and made your way to the break room to fill it up from the sink. There was another person in there, staring blankly at the coffee maker as liquid slowly dripped into his cup. Deciding to be polite, you greeted him as you came up beside him to use the sink.

He blinked a few times as he turned to look at you, smiling when he realized who he was looking at. “Oh, how rude of me,” he said, holding out a hand. “I can't believe I missed such a gorgeous person. I'm Detective Gavin Reed. You can call me Gavin.”

Clenching your jaw, you set your bottle down under the stream of water and shook his hand before giving him your name. “Nice to meet you.”

“So, what's someone like you doing in a place like this?” he asked, grabbing his coffee and mixing in some sugar.

You wondered briefly if he always sounded hungover this late in the day before shaking that thought off. Maybe it was just because he was clearly tired and hungover, but he was giving you  _ major _ creepy vibes.

“I'm here to advise on a case,” you said, taking a tiny step away from him as you grabbed your water bottle and spun the cap back on.

“Oh, really? Need someone to show you around?” he asked, taking a small sip of his coffee. He winced at the heat.

“No thanks,” you said, turning around to go back to Connor's desk. “I'm just going to wait.”

Reed slid his free arm around your shoulder, grinning as he forcefully led you out of the break room. “Nonsense. Besides, who would let a civilian wander around as they pleased?”

While he did  _ technically _ have a point there, it didn't mean he had to be weird about it. “Then I'll sit back down and you can keep an eye on me from  _ your _ desk,” you shot back, trying to slide away from his grip. Could the guy be any more arrogant?

“Oh, come on, now! No need to be shy.”

You glanced around, sighing to yourself when you realized no one was even  _ looking _ in your direction. “I'm  _ fine _ , but thank you for the offer.”

Reed's smile fell a fraction of an inch. “Well, the least I can do is have you wait at my desk to make sure you don't go wandering off.”

You tried to slip away again as he turned you, leading you away from Connor's desk. In the next moment, Reed hissed in pain and the weight of his arm was finally off your shoulders. A strong hand gripped your arm, gently tugging you away from him. Turning, you saw your saviors. Nines stood just behind where you had been moments before, holding Reed's arm in the air as his LED flickered between yellow and red. Connor's hand was still on your arm as he turned to look at you, LED a solid yellow.

“Are you all right? It looked as if he might be hurting you.”

You nodded slowly. “Yeah, thanks.”

Reed wrenched his arm from Nines' grip, glaring daggers at the android. “Jesus fuck, you  _ plastic pricks _ ! What do you think you're doing?!”

“It is not proper conduct to force someone to go where you wish in such a manner,” Connor simply said.

Nines turned to you, reaching up to brush something off the shoulder of your work jacket where Reed's arm had been. “We received permission to bring you into the evidence room. You may come with us now.”

“It will be warm in there,” Connor said, turning to you to smile. “You should leave your jacket here.”

“I will carry your bag.” As he spoke, Nines made his way to Connor's desk and carefully slung your bag over his shoulder. He took a moment to close your lunchbox.

Despite the sudden appearance and subsequent rescue, you were feeling much better than you had been before. You certainly weren't going to say you trusted them fully, but it would've been a lie to say you weren't growing fonder of them. A part of you wondered if it was just a synthetic bond because of the soulmate connection. With that in mind, you let Connor lead you to his desk as you slipped off your work jacket. After glancing over the room, Nines started to walk off. You did hope Connor was right about it being warmer, since your old work tank top did little to help with the chill of the air conditioner.

“Please come with us,” Connor said, gesturing for you to follow Nines.

Before you got too far, a voice behind you gasped almost comically. Your small group paused, each of you turning to look at the man who was now gaping and pointing at you. Reed's eyes had widened to an almost comical size. As all of the other officers' gazes turned to you, you wondered what it was that had shocked him so much. You glanced down at your shirt, checking it over for stains that weren't clearly caused by thirium when your eyes landed on the words written across your arms in perfect CyberLife sans. You looked back up, quickly noticing that almost  _ everyone's _ gazes were locked onto your left arm. The arm that specifically had Connor's first words to you written across it.

“ _ Oh _ .”

To your right, the older gentleman from before started chuckling. “Didn't think to mention something that important, kid?”

“You were getting coffee, lieutenant,” Connor said, only glancing briefly at the man. “We needed to speak with the captain.”

“And we have a case that must be solved,” Nines added, gently grabbing your arm. “Please come this way.”

The short trip to the evidence room was a bit of a blur. Aside from wearing your work jacket for safety reasons when required, you almost always made sure your marks were hidden in public. Ralph was the only other person that had seen them, and that was just because you liked to be comfortable in your own damn office. The practical fear you felt at the idea of people seeing them was likely something you learned from hiding them as a child, but it didn't change the fact that you simply weren't used to showing them off.

A part of you wondered if you should still be afraid of people seeing them in public.

Someone calling your name snapped you out of your trance. Blinking, you looked up to see Connor and Nines in front of you. Connor's concern was visible on his face, the edges of his mouth quirked down in a frown. Slightly behind him, Nines' eyes were narrowed as they looked over you.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I guess I got lost in my own thoughts.”

“We have arrived at the evidence room,” Nines said, pointing to a wall with android bodies hanging off of it before setting down your bag. “You can do whatever it is you require.”

You nodded, somewhat glad to lose yourself in your work, even if it was going to be a bit grizzly. Still, you swore to yourself that you would figure it out.

You had to if you wanted to save the androids.

*****

Exhausted, you slammed your head on the workshop table. You could hear Ralph flinch from the front room, and he appeared in the doorway moments later. Weakly, you pointed at the screen displaying the most recent failed results before changing the dish you were using and starting again. You had spent nearly every minute since getting back to your office trying to figure out what was causing the trouble with the thirium. The tests showed there was absolutely something there, but you couldn't isolate it no matter how hard you tried. You weren't even sure how long it had been at this point. Connor and Nines would undoubtedly be by at some point to see if you'd made any progress. Even after forgoing food and sleep, you didn't have anything to show for it.

The old antique bell on the front door jingled as someone opened it. Despite the worry still clear on his face, Ralph turned to greet whoever came in.

“Ah! The detectives! Ralph welcomes you!”

You groaned, slamming your head against the table once more and just leaving it there. As if sensing your misery, the machine beside you beeped to let you know it was another failure. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes, though you did you best to stave them off. It wasn't the time for crying. Someone could  _ die _ while you tried to figure out one  _ stupid fucking compound _ .

You flinched when a hand gently rested on your shoulder, lifting you up. The concerned faces of Nines and Connor came into view, both of them staring down at you. It looked like Nines was carrying something, but you couldn't see what it was from where you were. Connor raised his free hand, resting it on your forehead.

“Have you slept since we dropped you off three days ago?” he asked, LED spinning yellow.

You snorted, gently pushing his hands away. “Sleep is for the weak.” Had it really been three days, though?

“Sleep is required for humans to stay healthy and properly function,” he shot back.

Nines stepped forward, setting down the large bag he'd been carrying. You could see now that it had a logo from one of the nearby convenience stores.

“According to Ralph during our last check-in, they have not eaten yet, either,” Nines said, reaching into the bag and taking out various foods and drinks.

You gasped, eyes shooting to your employee who was hovering in the doorway. “Traitor!”

Ralph gave you a small smile. “Ralph wanted to make sure the good boss was okay!”

“How can I even be angry at that?” you grumbled, crossing your arms in the most indignant way you could manage.

In the same moment, Nines opened a bottle of water and set it down in front of you. “Drink.”

The both of them stared at you until you did so. Honestly, it didn't take much convincing. Just seeing the water reminded you that your own bottle had emptied hours ago. At the very least, it had been dark out still.

How long had it been light out?

To your left, Nines struggled with a sandwich package. His eyes were narrowed as he tried to find the pull tab. Connor shifted over to try and help, but Nines pushed him away.

“They should not be so difficult to separate.”

…

Separate...?

You slammed the bottle of water down, launching from your seat. Both androids watched in thinly veiled shock as you bolted to your shelves of chemicals, digging around for one in particular. “Yes!” You snatched the bottle and ran back to your work table, physically pushing your chair across the room in your excitement. Both androids took a step back, curious and a little concerned.

“I don't know why it didn't occur to me before!” You grabbed two large beakers and a thin filter, pouring some of the contaminated thirium into one. “I mean, it's practically common knowledge that thirium binds to a few specific substances. It wouldn't affect circulation in an android, but it would work to  _ separate _ the thirium from whatever else is in it.” You wondered for a brief moment, in your sleep deprived state, if anything you had just said made sense. Without wasting any more time, you poured half the bottle into the beaker with the thirium. Within seconds, some sort of goop began to settle in the bottom. You grabbed the metal filter, placing it over the other beaker before pouring the concoction into the empty one. The regular blue thirium went straight through the filter, collecting in the beaker below. Some sort of reddish-green goop collected on top, and you quickly tilted it back into the original beaker before it could get through the filter. Once there, it was easy enough to pour some into one of the few clean dishes you had left. You had the new dish in the machine within seconds.

Connor and Nines continued to stare in silence for several more minutes, just watching you watch the display. You typed in a few commands occasionally, eyes flickering over the words that kept flitting across. Just a few moments later, a large chime sounded from the machine and green flashed. Success!

“I've got it!” You turned on your heel, walking over to the two and throwing your arms around them in excitement. Tears of relief gathered in the corners of your eyes. You leaned back, grinning up at the two androids. “I figured out what's causing the shutdowns!” Fighting back the urge to hug them again, you spun around and ran back over to the display screen. “Now let's see what's been so troubling...”

Finally seeming to snap out of their shock and confusion, Connor and Nines came over to look over your shoulder. They were forced to step back again as you ran to your shelves and started pulling different bottles. A few bottles fell to the ground as you pushed them out of the way. You went back to the workshop table to drop them off before grabbing several syringes and a flask.

“Is there anything that we can-”

“No, just wait a minute,” you muttered, looking around for your chair as you waved a dismissive hand at Connor. The spinning chair bumped into your knees, making you fall into it.

“Be quick, then,” Nines said, letting go of the chair he'd just pushed into you to lean against the nearest wall. “You still require food.”

You nodded, giving him a big smile before turning back to your computer screen. The specific amounts appeared, letting you know just what to mix to dissolve the scanned component. Connor hovered over your shoulder, watching you mix each compound. After several minutes, you slipped the dish out of the machine and poured a small amount of the new mixture in. All three of you stared as the dark liquid seemed to eat away at the mixture inside. You were practically vibrating with excitement as you turned to the side, pouring a little into the beaker with thirium and watching like a hawk as it simply mixed in and did  _ nothing _ . Perfect! Only one thing left to test.

You stood from your chair, bringing the flask with you as you walked over to a small group of android parts. It was just a few parts connected together via a simple circulatory system currently filled with the contaminated thirium. With a functional pump and arm along with auditory and visual sensors, it worked well for testing custom parts. In this case, you could make sure that the mixture your machine had come up with wouldn't destroy whatever android drank it to save themselves from the tainted thirium. You popped open the pump, gently pouring in the rest of the mixture from the flask before closing it and turning on the whole system. Connor and Nines both came up behind you, watching curiously as the thirium and mixture pumped through the fake system. As a few minutes passed, you managed a tired smile.

“I'll need to leave it on overnight to make sure there's no reaction, but that should be the cure you need,” you said, turning around to look at them.

In the next moment, before either had a chance to speak, your legs buckled and you collapsed to the ground. Exhaustion and malnourishment caught up to you, and everything felt like you were underwater. A strong pair of arms managed to catch you before you smashed your head on the ground, keeping one arm behind your back and the other under your knees as they yelled something out. Despite how blurry everything looked, you could tell it was Nines holding you by the jacket. Connor's equally blurry head popped into view as a light flashed in your eyes. It looked like his mouth might have been moving, but everything looked like it was spinning so you weren't sure.

“I did it,” you murmured softly, weakly burrowing into Nines' arms as the last of the adrenaline driving you faded from your body and you let sleep overtake you.

*****

When you finally started to wake up, you wished you were still sleeping. Opening your eyes was awful, the bright lights above you practically blinding whenever you tried to look anywhere. Beeping from somewhere in the room echoed in your skull, bouncing around and around. You groaned, trying to brush away something stuck to your arm in an effort to cover your eyes.

“Connor, the lights.”

You kept blinking, confusion settling in when you realized the lights above your head were very suddenly less bright. Grumbling to yourself, you finally managed to keep your eyes open. Just above you hovered Connor and Nines, looking down at you.

“Uh, hi?” you rasped, wincing at how scratchy your throat sounded.

“How are you feeling?” Connor asked, turning away to place a hand over the machinery connected to you via a number of wires.

“What happened?”

Nines placed a hand on your forehead, LED flickering yellow. “You fell unconscious while you were testing the...  _ cure _ for thirium poisoning.”

“Oh.” You looked around the room, blinking tiredly. “Did I do it?”

“Yes, you were able to discover and create what you needed,” Connor said, pulling his hand back and turning his attention back to you. “You have been asleep for just over a day. Ralph watched over the experiment for you.”

You managed a small smile. “Ah, that's good. I'm glad it worked out.”

Nines narrowed his eyes at you, pulling his hand back enough to flick your forehead. “Worked out is hardly the term we would have used. It is much more accurate to say that you put yourself in harms way by refusing to eat or sleep.”

“Ow,” you sighed, rubbing at your forehead. “But I ended up finding the answer, didn't I?”

“How often do you refuse to sleep or eat?”

“I'm getting the distinct feeling I shouldn't answer that.”

Connor frowned at your answer, furrowing his brows. “Why not?”

“They are refusing to answer because we won't like it,” Nines said, crossing his arms.

“Guilty as charged,” you said with a weak grin. “But I always get the job done.” Sighing softly, you let yourself lean into the soft pillows beneath you.

“Do not fall back asleep until the doctor has come in to see you.”

Grumbling something rather crass under your breath, you glared at Nines. “I'm tired.”

Connor shook his head. “It would be best for the doctor to speak with you first. You will be able to learn more about your health state and when you can be released.”

You snorted. “Yeah, like I'd listen to that bit of advice.” At their furrowed brows, you sighed, pulled yourself into a sitting position and pointed at the clock beside your bed. “It's already morning, and that date suggests I've already had well over half a day of sleep. If it's morning, I need to go check on the contaminated thirium set up to make sure the formula worked.” Both of them opened their mouths to argue, but you just continued, “and I need to go in and make sure that the formula is perfect. Which it won't be yet since that was only a first test. I'm guessing it's pretty close based on the numbers my computer gave me, but it'll probably need a few minor modifications. _And once that's done_ , I'll need to order the supplies to make a bunch of... cure shots or whatever. After I've finished all that, I'll still need to contact the other engineer in town to see what he has so we can make an emergency supply.” You leaned back against the back of your hospital bed. “A lot of stuff needs to be done before I can rest if I don't want lives on my hands.”

Connor winced at your words, and you supposed seeing Nines' LED flicker yellow was the biggest reaction you'd get from him. Oddly enough, Nines was the first one to talk.

“I do not see what you needing to do has to do with the doctor's advice.”

You snorted again. “This isn't exactly my first rodeo. He's going to tell me that they want to keep me here for observation for at least another day to make sure nothing goes downhill and then give me a special diet list and a vitamin prescription. Once he's done blabbering on forever about needing to take better care of myself, I'll let him know that I understand everything he's told me but I want to sign out against medical advice and to give me the form.”

“That would be... ill advised,” Connor said, LED a solid, spinning yellow. “It would be in your best interest to remain here to make sure you recover.”

“Yeah. That's why it's called signing out against medical advice.” You sat back up, flicking your eyes around the room to look for your stuff. “I have plenty of vitamins at home already, and Ralph would have a fit before he let me not eat properly when I don't have any special project.”

“You-”

“Seriously,” you said, glaring at Nines and unceremoniously ripping off the blanket and swinging your legs over the side of the bed to go looking for your belongings. “I know how to take care of myself.”

They both stared at you blankly.

“Well, okay, I know how to take care of myself when I'm not working on saving _lives_.” You reached over to the side of the bed, turning off the monitors and taking off the bands on your arms that had been feeding them information. “And I'd seriously start to hate myself if I let more androids die while I sat here sleeping and doing _nothing_.”

“You would be recovering,” Nines argued back, moving over to the other side of the bed to try and stop you from getting up.

You glared at him again, furrowing your brow. “You need to move.”

“No.”

Connor glanced between the two of you, shifting closer and clearing his throat. “Why don't you lay down so we can discuss other possible options?”

“I've made my decision. _Move_.”

“ _No_.”

You took a deep breath. “If you do not move, I'm doing to scream.” Their LEDs flashed red for just a moment before going back to yellow. “And I'm going to tell whoever comes in the door that I don't know you very well and I feel like you're threatening me. And you will be removed. You will have no say in what happens. And I will asked to be escorted to a taxi so that neither of you can bother me.” You leaned closer. “I will _not_ let you get in the way of me helping people.”

It was actually sort of interesting seeing Nines properly emote. Though you weren't sure you liked shock being the first thing he showed you. While the both of them tried to comprehend what exactly you had said and how to proceed – you honestly assumed they were talking to each other somehow – you heard the door open. The doctor stared at the three of you.

Before anyone could say anything, you gently pushed Nines aside so you could properly see the doctor and said, “you want to observe me overnight. I need vitamins and a special diet for the next week or so. I should probably come in for a follow-up after the first week. I understand everything you're going to tell me. Get me the forms to sign out AMA.”

The doctor gaped at you for a few moments, mouth opening and closing like a fish before he just said, “all right,” and left to get your forms.

You'd consider it a win, if it wasn't for the concerned puppy dog eyes Connor was giving you.

*****

Ralph watched you like a hawk from the doorway as you prepared to individually seal the next batch of cure shots. You'd considered making the formula free online, but Connor suggested you wait until it had been dispersed first to make sure whoever made the poison in the first place couldn't use the formula to make a better poison. In the end, you'd still been lucky enough that the android leader – apparently a friend of Connor's – had approved it for dispersal with only minimal testing. You supposed part of that had to do with you being pretty well known among the androids for doing good work.

“Once I set the machine for packaging up, we can go get lunch, Ralph. I promise.”

“You promised Ralph,” he said, finally going back to desk.

“I always keep my promises to you, Ralph, you know that.” You gently opened the machine, gingerly pouring in the next batch, watching it fill the first two containers to make sure it was working properly before grabbing your jacket from your office. You dug around in your pockets to try and find your keys while walking into the front room. “Okay, Ralph, we can-”

“Hello.”

You froze, sliding your hands out of your pockets and slowly looking up to see two familiar androids. You hadn't seen them since they'd escorted you back to the office from the hospital. Obviously, they'd been busy preparing for dispersal of the cure and working on learning more about the poison from the analysis you provided. It hadn't really occurred to you that, about a week later, they would be done with that. Or at least done enough to pay their soulmate a visit.

Ralph glanced between you and the other two androids before happily declaring that he forgot to water his plants and someone else should escort you to lunch and taking off toward the staircase to reach his above office apartment.

You cleared your throat, contemplating yelling that he was still a traitor before deciding he was too far gone anyway. Instead, you managed a weak smile. “How does lunch sound?”

Connor gave you the biggest, dopiest smile. “We were planning to ask if it would possible for us to accompany you.”

Nines just nodded his agreement.

Well, prior argument aside, you were actually looking forward to learning more about your soulmates. There was so much to learn without the lives of sick androids looming over your heads. And you supposed there was plenty of time.


End file.
